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The Rising Sun of Death
"The Rising Sun of Death" is the ninth episode of Miami Vice's fourth season. The episode premiered on December 4, 1987 and repeated on May 27, 1988. Summary The Yazuka is present in Miami, but Castillo's investigation is complicated by the arrival of a Japanese investigator. Plot An executive, W. Colton Avery, has dinner with three Japanese men in regards to a business transaction. Riochi Tanaka (James Hong), invites Avery to relax, and introduces him to Agawa (Danny Kamekona), who takes Avery to a strip club. While lounging in a hot tub with two Japanese women, Avery is drowned by Agawa. Crockett and Caitlin (Sheena Easton) are house shopping, and they find one owned by a Colombian with legal problems, which they can get for less than a million dollars. Castillo calls in to have Crockett and Tubbs join him at the marina, where they have found a floater -- Avery. His high-tech plant in Lauderdale was supposed to be a co-venture with the Japanese. Vice is involved because Avery's associates allegedly have ties with the yazuka, and Castillo wants them found out. Commissioner Vasquez and Homicide Sergeant Ernest Haskell (R. Lee Ermey) address the press before conferring at the morgue with Castillo, who indicates he has nothing on the killing yet. Vasquez is highly concerned about the effect this will have on his upcoming election, as he is running for mayor. The coroner determines Avery died in freshwater, though he was pulled out of a saltwater bay, indicating he was dumped there. Haskell seems anxious to write the case off as a drunk who fell overboard, but Vasquez wants to hear Castillo's take; Castillo asks for 48 hours to handle this before turning it over to Haskell. The team reviews Tanaka's file, finding he was accused of war crimes by General McArthur after World War II (never tried). He is now head of the 14th largest corporation in Japan, though INTERPOL has tied him into the yazuka. Castillo wants Crockett and Tubbs to check out Avery's office for any tie-ins to Tanaka. Two Japanese men are busy ransacking the office and breaking into a safe. When Crockett and Tubbs arrive they find the security guard dead, and Crockett sees on a security monitor that the men are escaping through the garage. They give chase and a gunfight breaks out in the street. Suddenly another man shows up in a Firebird and shoots down one yakuza thug before chasing the other off. Crockett finds a business card for Kenji Fujitsu (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa), Private Investigator, and he and Tubbs wonder what a Japanese PI is doing in Miami. Castillo confirms the yazuka presence after viewing one of the bodies. The yazuka began appearing in Hawaii three years earlier, after the government began breaking up the crime families using RICO lawsuits; the Japanese are moving in to fill the void. The yazuka work every market they can to make a profit, including guns, prostitution, drugs, and murder. The most feared clan are the Sumiroshi-gumi, and the dead man has their tatoo on his body. Tanaka informs Agawa that Fujitsu has made his men look foolish, and they need to save face. One of the thugs atones for this humiliation and prevents disgrace by performing yubitsume (cutting off his little finger). After Crockett confers with Caitlin about buying the house (and making sure she gets the name right on the Burnett line), he and Tubbs head to OCB where Castillo has gathered information on Fujitsu - he was the most highly-decorated man in the Japanese police force until he attacked Agawa (owner of steakhouses and lacking a no criminal record) without provocation, and hasn't been seen until now. Castilo decides they haven't got time to track him down, choosing instead to focus on the yazuka. Apparently they have a command of the brothels in Miami, called "dating clubs", and Castillo assigns Gina and Trudy to find one locally that needs employees. Vasquez informs Castillo his 48 hours were up; Castillo requests two more days, claiming his hunch could lead to national or even international publicity, and Vasquez is swayed. With Fujitsu and Crockett/Tubbs watching, Gina and Trudy get in to see Agawa about an ad for jobs. At Agawa's club, Haskell meets with him for a payoff, but while leaving he recognizes Trudy and informs Agawa. Haskell has Gina and Trudy tied up in Agawa's place, but Agawa shows displeasure at his presence and has him tied up as well. The Vice team is outside when a satellite truck shows up along with Vasquez, desperate for exposure with the upcoming election. Castillo is irritated by this but has Switek activate Trudy's beeper (pre-arranged) and turn on the speaker, over which Vasquez hears Haskell speaking with Agawa. Castillo threatens to play the conversation over the loudspeaker unless Vasquez allows them to do their work. He backs off, and Crockett and Tubbs enter the club; Fujitsu is there too, killing a couple of Agawa's men before escaping, leaving Crockett and Tubbs to find Haskell in a compromising position. Castillo finds that the Japanese were using fronts to buy up large amounts of Avery stock in anticipation of a hostile takeover; Avery got wind of it and blocked the merger, which led to the need for his murder. Fujitsu is discovered to have been working for Tanaka all along, leaving everyone confused as to why he is killing off Tanaka's men. Castillo has a late night visitor, Fujitsu, who explains his rationale for turning against Tanaka. After World War II, Tanaka was sprung from jail to stop the communists and their labor movement, and he used the yazuka to accomplish this. Fujitsu, a nationalist, wants him because people in his organization feel he's unstable, and he has approached Castillo because of Haskell, who was Tanaka's control officer in OSS (the group that got Tanaka sprung from prison). Fujitsu was also once a Sumiroshi-gumi and a friend of Agawa, before Agawa went over to Tanaka's side. Castillo goes to see Tanaka and Agawa to "pick up where Haskell finished" by bringing them Fujitsu. Tanaka wants Fujitsu killed when he is brought and has it set up to look like he murdered Avery for profit. Agawa confronts Fujitsu and they engage in a Japanese Samurai fight; Fujitsu gains the advantage and is about to deliver the finishing blow when Castillo intervenes, wanting Fujitsu to let Agawa live with the agony of his disgrace rather than die in honor. Castillo and Fujitsu (Crockett and Tubbs right behind them) return to Tanaka's, but arrive to find that Tanaka has committed seppuku, taking his own life in the yazuka way. Cast *Don Johnson as Metro-Dade Detective James "Sonny" Crockett *Philip Michael Thomas as Metro-Dade Detective Ricardo "Rico" Tubbs *Saundra Santiago as Metro-Dade Detective Gina Calabrese *Michael Talbott as Metro-Dade Detective Stan Switek *Olivia Brown as Metro-Dade Detective Trudy Joplin *Edward James Olmos as Metro-Dade Lieutenant Martin "Marty" Castillo Guest Stars *R. Lee Ermey as Metro-Dade Homicide Sergeant Ernest Haskell *Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as Kenji Fujitsu *Danny Kamekoma as Agawa *James Hong as Riochi Tanaka *Sheena Easton as Caitlin Davies Co-Starring *Amazing Grace as Band *Eddie Yoshimura, C. Shick Park, Damian Chuck, and Cheung Y. Park as Yakuzas *Dennis Dylan Jones as Dr. Dees *Roger Pretto as Commissioner Vasquez *Lew Wood as W. Colton Avery Notes *This is the first of several episodes in the fourth and fifth seasons where politics play a role in investigating and solving crimes, and cause interference in investigations. *Haskell is seen wearing a "Vasquez for Mayor '88" badge while on duty. In many states, politicking by a public servant while on duty (and therefore on the taxpayer's dime) is illegal. *Castillo continues his habit of sleeping at OCB after hours, as he has done in previous episodes. *This episode was pulled from Hulu.com in October 2009, possibly due to "rights issues". It is available on the paid side of Hulu, Hulu Plus. Music *"Flesh for Fantasy" by Billy Idol (at strip club) *"Si Senor, The Hairy Grill by Yello (Crockett and Tubbs go to Avery's office and during shootout) *"Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me" by The Smiths (at strip club) *"Moon on Ice" by Yello (Crockett and Tubbs enter club to get Trudy and Gina) Quotes *"You don't know how nice it is in these postcrash times to meet a couple that won't need a mortgage!" -- Rita Van Weens to Crockett and Caitlin *"You notice these guys don't drive Japanese!" -- Crockett noticing the Japanese men driving a Mercedes *"In America, you have arrest and trial. The yazuka have their own justice!" -- Fujitsu Category:Miami Vice Season 4 Episodes